Executive Summary

WRI's Institutions and Governance Program has completed an asessment of national councils for sustainable development (NCSDs). These bodies are created or sanctioned by nationalgovernments and draw together members of government and civil society to define sustainable developmentwithin a particular national context. Many councils are also responsible for implemeting national commitments made at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Eight years after the Earth Summit this evaluation, "Rio+8:An Assessment of National Councils for Sustainable Development," examines the strategies employed, obtacles encountered, and progress made by NCSDs in eight countries: Bolivia, Finland, Honduras, Mongolia, the Philippines, Uganda, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The basis for this comparative analysis are a set case studies completed for each of these countries.

Through this work WRI hopes to encourage wider debate on how and under what conditions NCSDs can contribute to advancing sustainable development. It is intended to be a useful reference for policy makers, members of councils, and civil society organizations directly engaged with NCSDs.